Manure-spreader.



0. JOHNSON &'0. FRANK. MANURE SPREADER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1909.

1,025,403 7 Patented May 7, 1912 & K 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

may

o o u u q a W myw mi zixgi O. JOHNSQN & 0. FRANK.

MANURE SPREADER.

' APPLIOATION FILED MAY 22, 1909. I- I 1 ,O25,4;O3, v Patented May 7, 19 12.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' enemas aonnson, or AUBURN, AND CHARLES FRANK, OF SENECA FALLS,

NEW YORK.

MANURE-SPREADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '7, 1912.

Application filed May 22, 1909. Serial No. 497,773.

tutes the bottom of the body of the machine,

The main object of the present invention is to produce a machine which shall be very efficient and reliable in its operation and capable of distributing the fertilizingmaterial over a wide stretch of ground, and a further object is to provide simple and conveniently controlled mechanism for driving the heater and apron.

To that end the'invention consists primarily in the novel construction and arrangement of the sectional beater and its driving mechanism, and secondarily in the novel construction and combination of the component parts of the change-speed mechanism for transmitting motion from the heater to the apron, as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims. I

'Referring to said drawings Figure l-is a top plan of a. inanlu'e-spreader embodying our improvements: Fig. 2' is an enlarged detail rear view of the sectional beater; Fig.

3 is a longitudinal sect-ion of said beater,

' Figs. 4 and .7 are enlarged detail inner face views of the disks coupling of the beater-sections.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several views of the drawings.

--1- denotes the box or'body of the vehicle which mounted upon the frontaXle 2 and rear axle 3- in any suitable or well. known manner, and t-4rdenote the rear or traction-wheels jo'urnaled on the axle 3- in the usual manner.

-5 represents the usual longitudinally movable apron which constitutes the bottom of the vehicle-body and may be of any suitable forrn.

At the rear end of the body is arranged our improved beater composed of two see.-

which constitute the.

tions 9-'-9 secured respectively to separate horizontal shafts --1010 which are set out of parallelism in relation to the apron shafts, and are arranged rearwardly convergent at a line extending centrally and longitudinally through the body. llachof the shafts -'l010*- is journaled at its outer end in a suitable bearing -ll provided on the inner side of an upright bracket 12* fastened to the-sill of the body, the

inner ends of which shafts are journaled in bearings.13 13 provided on bracketarms -14l1 formed on a standard 15- bolted to a cross-bar -16 which may be bolted or otherwise fastened at its ends to the inner sides of the sills as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

on circular heads --1)-19- which are provided with hubs 20-QO fastened to the shaft by means of pins 21-21 and abutting against the shaft bearings 11-13. The shafts '1010* of the beater-sections are connected together by means of a loose-coupling owing to their convergent relation; This coupling consists preferably of two disks -22-23 which are keyed to the adjacent ends of the respective shafts, the disk 22- being provided with a series of radial slots 24-24- through which pass clutch arms 2525-- projecting from the adjacent face of thedisk -23-. By this slotand pin-connection between the two beater-sections, the section 9 drives the other section -9"--, the former being driven from the tractionwheel -4t at the corresponding side of the: vehicleby mechanism which will now be do scribed.

On the rear axle 3- is loosely mounted a large sprocket wheel -26 which is connected by a chain -27 to a smaller sprocket-wheel -28- journaled on an ar bor .29 secured. to the outer side of the bracket -12. The sprocketwheel ,26- is adapted to be shifted longitudinally on the axle and is provided on its outer side with a clutch-face 30-' designed to be thrown into and out of engagement. with a which lever is connected by means of a pivot pin -4.2- to an car -43 formed on a plate -44-- bolted or otherwise secured to the body as more clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The forward end of said lever may be provided with a longitudinal slot not shown for receiving the pivot-pin 42- to allow the lever to move lengthwise slightly during the operation of shifting the sprocket-wheel in order to guard against binding at the connection between the lever and sprocket-wheel. Any suitable manually-operated means may be employed for actuating the said lever 39, however, we prefer the device shown which comprises a pair of toggle arms -46-46 which arc joined by a suitable coupling -47-, one

arm being pivotally connected to the lever as indicated at 48- and the other arm pivotally connected to the vehicle body in any suitable and convenient manner. The said coupling -e7 is provided'with a socket-portion -50- in which is suit-ably secured the rear end of a rod --5 l extending to the forward end of the body and pivctally connected thereat to a hand-lever -52- by m'eans'of any well known couling, said hand-lever being connected to the ody in such position as to be conveniently operated by the person seated upon the vehicle. The rear sprocket-wheel 28 drives a gear -54 journaled on the arbor 29. The teeth of said gear are set slightly at an angle to the axis of the arbor so as tomesh with a pinion'55- which is secured to the shaft -10- of the beater section *9 in any well known manner.

By the described construction and arrangement of the parts of the chain and sprocket-mechanism and gearing it will be seen that when the two parts of the clutch are in engagement the forward travel of the left-hand traction-wheel 4:- will impart rearward rotation to the beater-section -9-, which latter transmits like rotation to the companion section 9* through the medium of the coupling members hereinbefore referred to. The apron -5- may be driven by any suitable mechanism but is preferably driven from the outer end of the right-hand beater section by suitable transmitting mechanism 59--, Fig. l.

The series of teeth -17"-17"- on the bars -17-17' of the beater-sections are disposed parallel and the teeth of each bar arepreferably arranged in a straight line and gradually shortened toward theiouterend of the section as clearly illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14. By thus graduating the series of teeth and arranging the beatersections convergently as described and shown, the spreading of the manure is very effectual and other advantages are derived.

What we claim as our invention is 1. In a manure spreader, a box having a longitudinally movable bottom, a rotary beater composed of rearwardly inclined sections having their axes converging at a point approximately in the plane of the longitudinal center of the box, each "section having a series of bars arranged about and parallel with its axis, each bar having a series of teeth projecting at gradually increasing distances from its outer face from one end toward the other end.-

2. In a manure spreader, a box having a longitudinally movable bottom, a rotary beater composed of sections arranged end to end with their axes converging rearwardly to a point in proximity to the plane of the longitudinal center of the box, each beater section havin a series of bars arranged around its axis with their outer faces parallel with said axis, each'bar having a series of teeth projecting gradually increasing distances therefrom from its outer end toward its inner end, each beater section having a rotary shaft and a universal joint connection between the inner ends of the shafts.

3. In a manure spreader, a box having a 'rearwardly movable bottom and actuating.

means therefor, a rotary beater composed-of sections arranged end to end and having separate rotary shafts disposed in rearwardly converging angles and having inner ends coupled together by a universal joint, bearin s for the' outer ends of the shafts, additional bearings for the inner ends of the shafts, each beater section havin a series of bars arranged about and parallel .with their respective shafts, and teeth on the bars rojecting gradually increasing distances t erefrom from then-outer ends toward their inner ends CHARLES JOHNSON. CHARLES FRANK.

Witnesses:

EDGAR T. Mosnnn, E. P. SNYDER.

their 

